


Seeing Red

by FanficAllergy



Series: Patchwork - 50 Theme Challenge [4]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: 74th Hunger Games, Gen, One-Sided Attraction, Side Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 13:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2430944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficAllergy/pseuds/FanficAllergy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Foxface is approached with a proposition.  Side story to Spectator.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeing Red

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Seeing Red  
> Theme: 04: Red  
> Words: 1170  
> Summary: Foxface is approached with a proposition. Side story to Spectator.

**oOo**

 

"Whatcha doin', Red?"

 

Rani looks up from where she's testing her knowledge of edible plants to see the male tribute from Twelve standing next to her.

 

"Training," she answers crisply. "Which is what you're supposed to be doing, unless you plan on rolling over and dying as soon as the buzzer rings." She pauses then snaps, "And don't call me Red." She turns back to the board and the pictures flashing up on the screen.

 

Twelve shrugs. "Whoa, calm down, Five. I'm not here to get in a fight."

 

"Then don't ask stupid questions."

 

"Fair enough." He pauses and gives her a shy smile and rakes his fingers through his hair. "Look, I'm doing this all wrong. Heck, I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to do this. But, here it goes. Do you want to join an alliance?"

 

Rani freezes. "What did you say?"

 

"You want to join an alliance?" he repeats.

 

She shuts down the screen to devote her full attention to the boy in front of her. He's pale, blonde and stocky and if she hadn't witnessed him hurl a large weight at the careers from Two who were picking on the little slip of a girl from Eleven, she would have pegged him as another tribute from Twelve who would die early in the Games.   Now she's not so sure and now he's asking her to form an alliance.

 

"Why?" she blurts out before she can stop herself.

 

"Because there's strength in numbers," he answers.

 

"No, no, why me?" she asks again.

 

He glances over at his district partner, another slip of a girl like the one from Eleven, who gives him an encouraging smile before going back to working on trying to start a fire with a bow drill.  

 

"Because you seem to be by yourself and you're smart, you're staying well away from the Careers but still getting training on every weapon you can. Plus you're making sure to learn what kinds of edible plants are in the Arena. That's smart since it's not just about fighting but surviving. I'm sure if they just wanted kids to fight they'd have named it something other than the Hunger Games. Something like Battle Royale or DeathMatch 5000 or ThunderDome or something else equally stupid."

 

Rani can't help it, she laughs at the names. They sound like something the Capitol would think up.  

 

"See, you know I'm right.   You know that the Games are more than just about fighting, they're about surviving long enough to know when to fight. That's why we want you, because you're smart like that."

 

His earnest words give her a warm feeling in her chest. It's the first time someone's complimented her on her intelligence and foresight. "Who's in this alliance?" Rani asks, trying to keep herself focused.

 

"So far? Me, Prim, and Rue. I wanted to ask Rue's district partner, Thresh, but Rue told me he's rejected three overtures from the Careers already." He shrugs, letting her draw her own conclusions.

 

"So it's just you and the baby brigade," she states bluntly.

 

"Don't count Rue and Prim out," he warns. "Rue's nimble, the Careers will have to catch her in order to kill her. Prim's strong and more than that she's smart, like you. Plus, she's likable. The sponsors will be tripping over themselves to send her gifts if she makes it long enough."

 

"And they'll have you there to make sure that happens, right?" she asks.

 

An expression of guilt and pain flashes across his earnest face before he says, "Right. I'm going to make sure that anyone in my alliance is protected."

 

"I'll think about it," Rani says, already deciding that she'll likely join the alliance but not wanting to show her hand just yet.  

 

"That's all I ask."

 

"So, if I do want to join with you, how will we go about doing that? There's no way that we're all going to be right next to each other at the cornucopia."

 

"Rue worked out a system for us, except I keep messing it up."

 

Rani raised an eyebrow. "So there's something you're not good at?" she asks archly.

 

"There's lots of things I'm not good at," the tribute from Twelve answers.  

 

"An attitude like that's not going to get you many sponsors."

 

Twelve snorts. "Now you sound like Haymitch."

 

Sniffing in annoyance at being compared to the laughingstock mentor of District Twelve, Rani says, "Not my problem. Means more sponsors for me."

 

The boy shrugs. "I'll leave you alone. Let you think things over. Come find us later if you're interested or even if you just want to hang out."

 

"You're an odd one, Twelve," she says, shaking her head.

 

"My name's Peeta Mellark, and I'm not really odd. I just don't want the Games to change me more than they already have. I still want to be me at the end of all of this and if that means that I'm going to die protecting Prim, then so be it."

 

Rani feels something in her chest constrict a bit at his words. "You must care for Prim a lot to be willing to die for her."

 

"I like Prim," Peeta says. "Everyone likes Prim."

 

"But..."

 

Peeta glances over at the blond girl who's blowing carefully at a tinder bundle. "She's important to someone I do love. I'd die in order for Katniss to be happy." He pauses and chuckles ruefully. "I guess I am considering only one of us can go home. Still..." he trails off then says with a shrug, "I've had a good life."

 

The words remind Rani what's at stake and just what everyone has to lose. Everyone but her.   She doesn't have anyone who she's willing to die for and no one to live for either. All she has, all she's ever had, is herself.   Seeing Peeta, the way his eyes shine when he looks at Prim, hearing the way he breathed this Katniss's name, it reminds her just how empty her life is.   She'd vowed as she walked up on stage that she wasn't going to go down without a fight. But now that's not enough. She wants to be part of something bigger, something important and even if she wins these Games for some crazy reason, she's never going to have what Peeta has.  

 

Rani looks at Peeta and then again at Prim and makes a decision.

 

Stepping away from the console, she says, "Why don't you have Rue and Prim show me this signal of yours?"

 

"Does that mean you're in?" he asks, his face earnestly hopeful.

 

"I'm still thinking about it," she answers, but it's a lie. She's in. She's going to help Peeta with his goal and she's going to make sure that the Capitol knows that she's going down fighting.

 

Peeta seems to understand that because he says, "Thanks, Red."

 

"Don't call me that!"

 

He smiles at her without any disingenuousness. "I don't know what else to call you."

 

Uranium Chee clutches at her stomach as she laughs. He's right, she's never told him her name. "Rani," she says in between giggles. "You can call me Rani."

 

**oOo**

**Author's Note:**

> AN:  
> Written: 10/5/14  
> Revised: 10/9/14  
> Beta Read by: RoseFyre
> 
> A side story to my main long fic, Spectator, about how Rani (aka Foxface) was approached by the alliance of Peeta, Prim, and Rue and why she joined with them. It's compliant with my other side story, Tribute, set in the same universe. I love Foxface and I kind of miss writing her. It also shows the start of her crush on Peeta and why she would have a crush on him. People with convictions are sexy. 
> 
> The last name "Chee" means "red one" in Navajo. The Navajo are a Native American tribe from the deserts of the American Southwest. The same area where I think Five is situated because that area is good for hydroelectric, wind, and solar power based off of geologic conditions. 
> 
> I may write more one offs in this universe as part of this.


End file.
